Chapter 25

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It's been a week now. A week without Becky. Freen hadn't heard any news about her, and Becky didn't visit her either. She also asked the head in Becky's department, but he said that Becky hadn't gone to school since the punishment.

Freen woke up early to prepare the notes she needed to read, answering the activities given by her professor as punishment. Their supposed punishment was stopped due to a thunderstorm. She settled at her table, biting the tip of her pen, trying to absorb the information. However, not a single piece of information retained in her mind. How could she focus on her studies when she kept thinking about Becky's whereabouts? Did Becky really leave? Richie mentioned that their parents had enough of Becky's tantrums and wanted her to go back to London and never return.

Suddenly, there was a knock on her dorm room. Freen hurriedly ran and opened the door, expecting Becky, but it wasn't.

"Freen, aren't you going back home? There are no classes for two days. Everyone might go home," Engfa said as she walked into Freen's room. She followed Freen back to her seat, noticing that Freen was not in the mood to talk.

How many days had it been? Six? Seven. Engfa couldn't remember. All she knew was that Freen was staying inside her dorm, isolating herself from others.

Freen didn't even go to the cafeteria for lunch. She would only ask the delivery service to bring food to her dorm.

"I still need to finish some activities as punishment." Freen smiled and continued writing, even though she didn't know if her answers were correct. She didn't care; some teachers didn't read long essays.

"Let me do it," Engfa said, grabbing the pen from Freen. "You should go home and visit your family." Freen tried to snatch it back, but Engfa kept hiding it behind her, glaring at Freen to stop her.

"What about you?" Freen asked, stopping her attempt to reach the pen.

"I'm planning to do the council's work. My parents aren't home anyway." Engfa shrugged, taking Freen's notebook as well. "Go home, okay? I got this. Rest your mind and body, idiot." She flicked Freen's forehead and chuckled.

Freen didn't object; she wanted to go to Becky's residence too, but Richie would likely be there too. He would hide Becky from her. She looked at Engfa, who was busy reading the notebook and the book, her brows knit in concentration.

"Engfa, do you know if Richie is going home?" Freen asked. If he was, she couldn't go to Becky's house.

"He's going home. Why? Do you want to go with him? Besides, his house is near yours, right?" Engfa asked. "Should I tell him?"

"No, it's fine." Freen smiled, packed her bags as Engfa answered all her activities. She waited for Engfa to finish before deciding to leave.

"Take care, idiotic fool!" Engfa waved at her before returning to her dorm.

As Freen passed Richie's dorm, he opened the door, carrying a bag.

"You're going home?" Richie asked in a cold voice.

"Yeah." Freen replied briefly, averting her gaze. "See you around." She waved at him.

"Come with me. It'll save you money. Besides, I will pass by your house. I can drop you off there." Richie explained.

"You can..." Freen stopped. She wanted to go to Richie's residence to make sure that Becky was just at home, but she couldn't say it. "Thank you."

Freen didn't object anymore. She wanted to go back home easily. If she took a ride, she needed to take 2 buses or a taxi, but taxis cost too much. She accepted his offer instead.

Throughout the ride, Richie and Freen didn't talk. Something had changed between them. Richie was still hurt, and Freen was still indecisive. She couldn't tell Richie that she wasn't choosing Becky over him, but she knew she preferred to be with Becky.

"Thank you." Freen muttered as she clambered out of the car. Richie only nodded and drove off.

She reached their house and noticed that Deli was waiting for her return. Her aunt smiled widely, especially when she knew that Richie was the one who took her niece back.

"Are you guys dating already?" Deli teased, taking Freen's bag to put on the couch. She led Freen to sit and smiled playfully.

"Aunt, we're still friends. Do you really want me to date him that much?" Freen asked and chuckled.

"Of course. But I wonder if Richie would like you," Deli said, sighing playfully.

Freen playfully glared at her and laughed. If only she knew that it was the other way around, she wouldn't tease Freen like that.

"Anyway, I prepared a dish for you." Deli stood up and headed to the kitchen as Freen followed her. "I heard that there would be no classes for two days before the weekend, so I thought that you're going home. And I was right," she said, smiling at her niece.

Freen looked around the kitchen; it was still neat as ever. However, she saw a pile of envelopes on the edge of the table. Were these bills? But Deli had a job and was earning enough for the two of them. Freen opened them and saw that they were responses from her father's company.

"Aunt, why is there a letter from my father's secretary here?" Freen asked, looking at her aunt.

"I contacted him about something. You know, I can't be with you all the time, so I have to make sure that someone will take you in if I left." Deli sadly smiled.

"I told you that you won't leave, right? I can take care of you. I can stay here, and I don't need a guardian aside from you," Freen retorted.

"Freen, I'm getting old. I'm not your parent. And I can't stay with you all the time. You need to remember that!" This was the first time Deli yelled at her. Freen was surprised but knew where her aunt was coming from. Deli was just concerned about her. "I have to find someone who will take you in if something happens, Freen. And I won't accept no."

"But, Aunt," Freen tried to persuade her aunt, but she ignored her.

"And no 'buts.'" Deli put the food on the table. "Eat up. Let's pretend that we didn't have this conversation."

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